Life Span Limit

2017-09-05

By: Libby Znaimer

Is there a limit to the human lifespan? It’s a subject of vigourous debate – now A study in Nature by Albert Einstein College of Medicine scientists suggests that it may not be possible to extend the human life beyond the ages already attained by the oldest people on record….

Canadian babies born today can expect to live more than 81 years compared with an average life expectancy of only 47 for people born in 1900. Since the 1970s, — the age to which the oldest people live — has also risen. But according to the Einstein researchers, this upward trajectory has a ceiling — and we’ve already reached it.

Scientists analyzed mortality and population data from more than 40 countries. Since 1900, the The number of people surviving to old age in each birth cohort increased with their calendar year of birth.

But when the researchers looked at survival improvements for people aged 100 and above, they found that gains in survival peaked at around 100 and then declined rapidly, regardless of the year people were born.

For people living to 110 or older, the age at death increased rapidly between the 1970s and early 1990s but reached a plateau around 1995 — further evidence for a lifespan limit. The Einstein researchers put the average maximum human life span at 115 years – and the absolute limit of human lifespan at 125 years.